Posts tagged JoeSaunders at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing matchups

San Diego Padres (32-47) vs. Minnesota Twins (42-36) - 3:35PM Est.

I tried to put an end to it yesterday by mentioning it in the On Deck, but apparently the On Deck Curse is only effective when I lead the post with it. So today, now that the Minnesota Twins have climbed within a half-game of the White Sox and won their last eight games, the Twinkies are getting the star treatment.

As I've already explained in recent days, I have no idea how the Twins are winning so much this season, yet here they are. Earlier this month the Twins were three games under .500 and 6.5 games behind the White Sox, and I thought their record then was a lot more indicative of the type of team they had.

It was only a matter of time before the suddenly resurgent Tigers and maybe even the Indians passed them by, and the Twins became merely a footnote in the 2008 season. All they've done since then is win, win, and win some more.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Los Angeles Angels (39-25) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (37-26) - 10:05PM Est.

It's pretty much a consensus that Tropicana Field is far and away the worst "baseball stadium" in the big leagues, but don't tell that to the Rays. They love the place, as they've gone 24-10 there this season. The road, on the other hand, has not been so kind.

Outside of the Trop, the Rays are only 13-16 and they find themselves in the midst of a nine-game road trip that has not been kind. After being swept by the Red Sox to start it off, they won two in Texas before losing yesterday. To make matters worse, the frustration is starting to show. The Rays are just an angry team.

After getting into a brawl with the Red Sox on Thursday, they were fighting themselves yesterday as Matt Garza and Dioner Navarro had a disagreement about, hell, I don't know, the best Doritos flavor?

Remember Chris Shelton's beastly start in 2006? Stud or Shelton examines whether currently hot players are having a similar mirage or will continue to play at a high level.

Starting pitching has been relatively topsy-turvy this season. You've got C.C., Bedard, and Verlander collectively sucking. On the other hand, Saunders is tied for the AL lead in wins and Wellemeyer is 7-1. Etc. Etc. Etc.

This is weird, but it's my job to help you sort it out and plan for the rest of the '08 campaign. Let's start with the dude at the right who is throwing a ball at you.

Joe Saunders -- He's 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Those numbers alone say "elite starter." He also plays for the team that wins games, so he should keep piling up wins. As for the other numbers, I'd be worried. In 82 innings he's only struck out 39 guys. If you aren't a power pitcher, you can survive on getting the ground ball, it's just that he's not. 1.21 grounders per flies, teamed with his unGodly .238 allowed BABIP. This means that he's received an inexplicable amount of luck in regards to the type of contact being made.

Verdict: Shelton. Big time Shelton.

More after the jump ...

When the Angels placed Chone Figgins on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring earlier this month, they did so about a full month after Figgins originally hurt it. Instead, Figgins tried to play through it, but even though he was able to contribute a little it became clear it wasn't going to get any better without rest.

So Chone did his time on the shelf, and patiently waited for the hamstring to heal before the Angels activated him last week. Then, in his first game back Figgins re-aggravated the injury and hasn't played in a game for the last five days. All of which means that the Angels may be putting their third baseman/outfielder/hot dog vendor right back on the disabled list.

"We're going to have to make a decision in the next couple days," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's making progress, but we're into day five now, so he'd have to make some significant progress in the next couple days."

While the Angels haven't lost a hold of first place in the AL West without Chone at their disposal, it's not like his absence hasn't been felt. The Angels were the highest scoring team in the American League in the month of April, but during May, which their lead-off hitter has spent the vast majority of the time unavailable, they've fallen to eighth in the American League.

Thankfully they have a pitching staff that includes two guys who are pitching out of their minds in Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders, along with the recently returned John Lackey. They don't need to score runs.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Cincinnati Reds (14-21) at New York Mets (17-15) - 1:10 PM ET and 7:30 PM ET

Yesterday, we brought you the news that the Mets might be re-evaluating Willie Randolph's job status very closely over the next month. Well let the re-evaluating start today, with a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets just came from a road trip against N.L. West powerhouses Arizona and Los Angeles and broke even on the six game trip. That's impressive. But the Mets under Randolph have historically been the type of team that could break even or better against the good teams on the road, then turn around to a seemingly easier homestand and do no better than break even there too. The Mets now have seven at home against the Reds and Nationals starting today, and anything less than five wins will more than likely turn the heat up on Randolph ... especially going into the series against the Yankees immediately following, where everything is magnified to the hilt anyway. So let the Willie Watch begin.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Kansas City Royals (14-16) vs. Los Angeles Angels (20-13) - 8:10PM Est.

Who the hell needs John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar? It's a question that many Angels fans have probably been asking themselves a bit the last few weeks. I mean, those two were only the two best starters on the Angels staff last year, winning a combined 37 games.

Who needs those 37 wins when you have Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana? Those two have pitched back-to-back all season long, and neither have bothered to try losing a game yet. Yesterday Saunders improved to 6-0 on the year with a win over the Orioles, and today Ervin will try to join his teammate at 6-0.

Coming into the spring, the Angels had one of the best problems a baseball team could have. They had more Major League ready starting pitchers than they had spots in their rotation. It's the real world equivalent of having too much money.

There was a lot of talk in the offseason that the Angels were thinking of using that excess pitching to help land another big bat in the lineup, like the annual Ervin Santana to Chicago for Paul Konerko deal, but instead landed Torii Hunter through free agency. So the Angels were able to hold on to all their pitchers(and added Jon Garland to boot), and given injuries to both Kelvim Escobar and now John Lackey, they're lucky they held on to all those arms.

There was some talk that with Lackey out, the Angels might consider signing a free agent like Horacio Ramirez, or even Jeff Weaver, but why do that when you already have better options on the roster? Like one Dustin Moseley who will be taking Lackey's spot in the rotation for the time being.

Dustin Moseley probably will replace the injured John Lackey in the rotation to start the season, but even Moseley knows he can't replace the intangibles Lackey brings.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Los Angeles Angels (91-62) vs. Seattle Mariners (81-71)-10:05PM Est.

If the Mariners thought it sucked last year when they had to watch the Oakland Athletics celebrate a division championship on their field, I wonder what they're thinking this season. After all, it's not like the Mariners were in contention then. This season they'll have to watch a team celebrate that just eliminated them. It can't be a good feeling, which may help explain why there was nearly a brawl between these two teams yesterday. Whether it's due to an Angels victory or a fastball at somebody's head, I guarantee there will be a large pile of men on the middle of the diamond in Los Angeles tonight. Joe Saunders gets the start for the Angels, and he's 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA in his last three starts at home. Jarrod Washburn starts for Seattle, and he'll be trying to stop the team he won a World Series with from celebrating without him. He'll have to pitch better than he has lately, because he's 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA in his last five starts.

Though I'm sure there are a few Angels fans who would rather he just stayed away.

Bartolo Colon's sore right elbow seems to be getting better, and the Angels are considering sending him on a minor league rehab stint in hopes that he can return to the rotation for the September stretch run.

"When Bart's right, he's one of the best pitchers in the game," pitching coach Mike Butcher said. "We know he can help us."

True, but is he right? I don't think a 46-pitch throwing session on the side is enough to convince anybody. Bart started the season on the disabled list after opting to not have surgery on his arm last season, and when he first returned to the mound, he was untouchable.

Not too long after that though, the injuries started to return and Colon's ERA kept going up. He hasn't pitched since July 23rd, and he hasn't won a start since June 14th. Since May 23rd Bartolo is 1-6 with an ERA of 9.26 in ten starts. The Angels record as a team over those ten starts is 3-7.

Meanwhile, Joe Saunders who's taken over Bart's spot in the rotation, has gone 4-1 with a 4.15 ERA during the same span, and the Angels are 6-1 when he starts.

So sure, Bartolo Colon's return to the Angels starting rotation could end up being great news. For the Mariners.

Major League Mongering will look at players rumored to be on the move between now and the July 31st pseudo-trade-deadline.

If the Angels can't succeed in bringing Mark Teixeira to southern California, they have other options. There's a possibility they may still land Jermaine Dye, but with Juan Rivera set to return from the disabled list, it's a question whether they'd want another outfielder on the roster.

What the Angels really want is another bat in the lineup so they can all enjoy the benefit of the three-run homer from time to time. There's a pretty cheap low-risk/high reward guy within the same state, just a long drive up Interstate 5 to Oakland.

The Athletics are looking to move Mike Piazza, and the Angels should definetely be looking into getting him. He's not going to be as big a boost as a Mark Teixeira, but he will come cheap and could come up big once the postseason comes around. Not to mention that with the recent trade of Jose Molina, and injury to Mike Napoli, he'd give the Angels some insurance at the catcher position.

Piazza has missed a lot of time this season, but is still hitting .301 in 33 games. The Angels also won't have to give up any top prospects to get him.

Which means they could hold on to Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley. Considering how horrible Ervin Santana has been this year, and the question mark that is Bartolo Colon, Saunders and Moseley are probably more important to the Angels right now than any bat they can bring in. To get rid of either one may solve the problem of not having enough power in the lineup, but it will just create a new hole in the starting rotation.

Previously at FanHouse:
Major League Mongering: Who's Going to Get Teixeira?